Where does “-ee” come from?
-ee (English) comes from French -ée, from Middle French -ee, from Latin -eus, from Ancient Greek -εῖος, from Proto-Indo-European -iHwós, from Proto-Indo-European -wós — Creates adjectives from verb stems.
-ee (English): Added to transitive verbs to form words meaning a...
Definitions
- Added to transitive verbs to form words meaning a...
Ancestry of “-ee”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | -ée | Forming feminine nouns having the sense of... |
| 2 | Middle French | -ee | forms a feminine noun indicating a quantity or content measured by what the base noun denotes, often translatable as |
| 3 | Latin | -eus | argentum + API → argenteus; ferrum + API →... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -εῖος | Forms adjectives, usually with a meaning of "of"... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHwós | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -wós | Creates adjectives from verb stems |